Played at a pick-up game over the weekend. Just 6 of us, nothing high stakes. I'm sitting on maybe 3rd place in chip count, and on the button. I get a A-J suited (spades) under, and sense weakness in other bets, so I go pretty hard - about 50% of my chips, just to get the blinds (we're up to 200-400 in blinds). The next 4 players toss in their cards, but drunk-boy to my right (sitting pretty in 5th) calls. Interesting.

So the flop comes out - 7 - 3 - 10 rainbow. No help. I keep up my betting (only bet the min) and he calls. Huh...

Turn - J hearts

I go all in - not only do I have High pair, I have the ace kicker. No flushes on board, no straights. The fool calls!!!

Cards are flipped up, my A - J vs. his A - Q! What is this guy staying in for? What is his major malfunction? Has he had one too many Sam Adams?

Feeling really good right now... Until the River comes out and, yeah, you guessed it, a Q on the river!

I'm burning right now. My father in law, who's a pretty good card player (he finished first that night) gives me this blank stare - turns to drunk boy and says, "You stayed in on A-Q with a J on the turn?" I assumed that meant I had played my cards right, and he (drunk boy) didn't. Drunk boy babbled something incoherent...

So how would you have played it?

-Max
Damn that river!_________________Oh, Yeah! Check out the all new TheMiddleClassBlog.com for all of us that aren't exactly "High Rollers"!

He just got lucky. The only way I play that differently is if he has more chips than I do. You had more chips than him so you can be more aggresive. How did you finish?_________________"Play Like The Pros Play"
http://www.5thStreetPokerParties.com

My cards motto: Do the right thing and don't worry about the consequences. More often than not, you will win those. Can't get flustered about one bad beat.

I used to always stay with suited hole cards in the hope to pull a flush. And it's ALWAYS killed me (even when I pull a flush, I can still lose to a higher one.) As long as I do the right thing, I don't care if I win or lose as I will eventually end up ahead most of the time.

And I have also stopped playing "what-if." At our work leage, we always play the hand out to see "what-if" we stayed in. I don't care if the flop is 7-7-7 and I had 2-7, b/c the right play is to fold anyway.